Mee too

I also had a birthday in JULY.. on the 23. It was an interesting day spent the entire day cleaning, packing and then driving up to Yosemite. It was worth the drive... but it was still an interesting day. Before we left I got to spend some time with my girls. Lately (besides time with Shawn and the kids) time with my girls is my FAVORITE! They keep me laughing and I just loove them. I really just wanted to blog about my favorite gift I got (the pink shoes and bird print come in a close tied second) BUT... my hottie hubby sold his precious mountain bike and got me a TOWNIE! He loves me so much. I LOVE my bike.. isn't it the cutest thing you have ever ever seen?

Sooo behind on my birthdays.

I started in October and I wanted to do a whole year around. Well I was pretty on top of it. Then we had a mad computer crash, a few in between and then we finally got a much needed new computer (more on that later). Well I didn't have my calendar (because of no computer) and I really wanted to make sure I didn't leave anyone out.

Now enough excuses, here it is, a much needed family birthday update!

JUNE:

16 - Brian is a big fancy lawyer working at some super-famous law firm now. He is motivated and driven and does so much for his little family. Brian is a wonderful husband to my seeester and a great father to my precious nieces and nephews. He loves to tell stories and he is an endless vault of information. He is sarcastic and hilarious. I LOVE YOU BRIAN, hope you had a wonderful birthday.
27 - Paxton and Bodee share the 27th for their birthday, only a year apart. Paxton is so fun right now. We just spent a week with him at Yosemite and oh how I miss those kids!! He is brave and sweet and has always had a laugh that will have you putty in the palm of his hand. He is fun and I miss him like crazy already! Love you Pax!

Bodee is such a sweet little cuddle bug. He loves to give kisses to his big and younger brother. He is kind and playful. I love him so much and especially love it when he climbs up onto my lap and curls up to give me hugs. He is such a sweet heart, happy birthday Bodee!
JULY:

22 - Braxton is getting so big. He is the big boy over at his house now with 2 younger brothers. Him and Hugo and best buds and Hugo often begs to play with Braxxxon. He is fun and a little spitfire at times, I love Braxton and want to steal him and claim him as my own!!! Jk... but I just love my nieces and nephews so much!
28 - Krista (to my left). Krista is absolutely adorable. She is thoughtful and smart. She is selfless always making sure everyone else is taken care of before herself. She is wild at times, and I love when I get to see that side come out. She is funny and speaks her mind, and I wish I was more like her. She is brave and beautiful from the inside out. I adore her and love her so much. Happy birthday sister!
30 -My dear mamasita also just had a birthday. She is absolutely stunning, this woman. She is superwoman and if you have ever met her would would agree. She can do absolutely anything!!! She has taught me to be strong and to take care of myself. She is handy and a powerhouse! She is also so stinkin hilarious and I know if I ever need a good laugh or a shoulder to cry on (even at 12:30 at night) she will be there to give it to me. I love her and I always say that all things good I have, came from my her! (and maybe a few from the old guy, her hubby). She is perfect, LOVE YOU MOMMY!
AUGUST-

3 - Billy boy had a very very special birthday this year and we are so lucky we got to share it with him. He turned 8 and made the choice to be baptized. I am so proud of him for being such a good example. He is such a sweet caring boy with a sensitive soul just like his Aunt Jenny. He reminds me so much of me when I was younger. Shy at times, super sensitive with a little mischievous streak that will make an appearance when you are watching closely. He is a peacemaker, and a great example. I love you Billy and I am so proud of the sweet, handsome boy you are!
6 - TJ (right in the middle) TJ is another powerhouse in he family. He is a go-getter. He can do anything at all that he sets his mind to. He is inspiring!! We all wish we could take a little of the ambition and success that TJ has in every aspect of his life. He is a wonderful husband and father and that is really what counts the most. He is hilarious and such a tease (I'm pretty sure all the boys LOVE to tease!!) Happy Birthday TJ we love you and miss you guys like crazy!
9 - Katie. Katie is such a cutie. With her blue eyes, sweet dimples and curly blond hair. She has the sweetest voice and dainty delicate walk. She is fun and adorable. She loves to be creative, crafty and adventurous. Sometimes it gets her and the ones she is with into trouble, but later in life it is going to be to her advantage. She will be like TJ, ambitious and successful, I can see it now! She has a sweet heart and really just wants to be cared about. She loves being the center of attention and how could she not, being that cute! Love you girl, happy #6!
20 - Koby is the top left. He is the leader of the pack. He is the oldest Brown grandkid and my oldest nephew. He is a rockstar, that kid. He is insanely smart, he loves to read and do whats right. I watched him a lot when we were camping and what I saw made my heart melt. He stands up for what he believes even if it isn't what the rest of the boys are doing. He cares more about doing good than being popular. At his 10 year old state is is inspiring me to be better. I love you so much Koby, thanks for being YOU!
27 - My one and only blood brother is a 1/4 of a century! He is getting sooo old :) He is also a rockstar kind of guy. Much like Koby he stands up for what he believes in and inspires me on a daily basis to do better. He is kind hearted and cares about everyone is his world and is so aware of everyones needs. He is hilarious and silly and will have you belly laughing within moments of meeting him. He is one of my closest friends and I am grateful so much for everything he is constantly doing for me. He is always serving others, he is so selfless and I love him so much for everything. Happy Birthday OLD MAN!!

Such big kids!!!

Lacy had so much fun getting ready for her first day of KINDERGARDEN!!! She went with me grocery shopping to pick out her breakfast and lunch for her first day, we did some shopping, and Mimi also took her on a special back-to-school clothes shopping trip. G-Pa and Grandma took her to get a new backpack and gave her some money for some back to school clothes. She was so spoiled and was so excited. She didn't feel great all last week and even woke up a little under the weather, but there was no way she was going to miss it! She had a great first day. She said it was a LOT of fun and a little scary. I can't wait to hear more! Hugo is also getting so big. He is now wearing BIG BOY undies!! He is so proud of them and the first thing in the morning when we were getting Lacy all ready he wanted his picture taken too, I'M a BIG BOY!!

4th of July

We had a pretty low-key 4th. We had a BBQ over at my parents on Saturday and then went to Pioneer Park right across from the Temple and watched fireworks with the Jones' and popped popcorn in the park and played with glowsticks. It was a lovely cool evening, it was perfect. I didn't get great pictures but Mimi got the kids adorable 4th of July outfits, so I had to share.. Hugo isn't so happy, Jack on the other hand...

Lacy just wants to hurry and get in the pool.
Maybe he just needed his mama!

Getting ready..

Shawn's maternal family has been going to Yosemite every year for the past... well, forever and we are soo looking forward to going next weekend. Lacy has been talking about it since the minute she got back last year and the same the year before. It is by far the highlight of her year, and will be for us this year as well. We can all hardly wait. We got a new tent this year, seeing as last time we went we took my parents pop-up tent trailer that they no longer have. We are ecstatic to be in a tent this time and to not have to tow that thing again! Well we got the tent and we HAD to try it out before going, just to make sure all the pieces were there. Well the thing is HUGE. We had to clear out both couches in the family room... Enlist some help from three little munchkins...

and voila our whole room was filled from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. The kids of coarse loved it! It was an easy set up, It will fit us all nicely and we are all even more excited then before to get on going. We will report more on the trip when we get back!!!

Here is a better picture of what it actually looks like!! It took up so much room in the room that I couldn't back away far enough to snap a shot!

Lightrail-date

Chantal, Clarissa, and I and our husbands all went on a super fun, note-worthy date last weekend. We took the lightrail over to Chase field and had dinner up at the TGIFridays and watched the last little bit of the diamondbacks game. We then took the lightrail back to Mill Ave and walked around and ended up hiking A-mountain. It was a little warm but it wasn't bad seeing as it was breezy and 10pm. We had so much fun laughing and playing like kids, without our kids! All except for the one moment on the lightrail when I got lost and thought everyone had left me. (Hence the sad-face).. they were all watching me squirm and thought it was pretty hilarious... punks!

Soccer Camp

Lacy just finished a 4 week soccer camp that she absolutely loved! We loved it too because it was indoors and kept her nice and busy. On the last day we noticed that she was the only girl in the class. It obviously never seemed to bother her (or us for that matter) seeing as it took so long for us to even see it. She loved it, learning about the game, the different positions, learning how to dribble, pass, and much more. She was so enthusiastic and most of all, she loved waving at us and making sure we were watching her "sweet moves!"

The only picture I snapped was the last day, with my phone, after the game when they were sitting around getting a thank-you and good job from the coach!

Shake it!

Lacy was playing on the wii doing some hula-hoop and it was just too hysterical not to share. The girl has got some serious moves! She is so funny!! I love this girl!

I wish I could dance...

Somehow dance gets me..

This dance didn't get the best reviews but it got me- kind of story of my life.

old life


so pretty


new life


I dont know why, But I just loved this week. So many pretty, meaningful dances. The first dance hit close to home, I cried my eyes out! The second dance was pretty and kind of an in-between dance and the last one was just plain sexy! You know they must have spied on Shawn and I for that idea, because we totally do that dance all the time!!!
Whatever, you are weird!

On Wednesday we had a super-fun boat trip with some awesome friends. The kids absolutely loved it, almost as much as we did! The lake is one of my most FAVORITE things about Arizona. (everything except the fish!!!) This time I took my first stab at wake surfing- it was SOOO FUN! Hugo got a hold of my phone this morning at deleted my video app which deleted all my video proof from the day. I did have this one saved with my pictures so here is one. Its my first attempt so its a little shaky.

I wish I could post the time Shawn was surfing and I hopped on the board with him, or Lacy being handed to Shawn on the surfboard and her freaking out, or Issac getting attacked by Shawn... or Shawn doing some wicked awesome moves on the wakeboard. Anyhow, thats a whole different story (me loosing my videos... boooo hoo)

Thanks so much Randal, Reed and Sara for inviting us to chill on your boat, it was an absolute blast!

Jack's Birthday Cupcakes

So I'm not a huge fan of cake so I was looking for something new for Jack's birthday. I decided to be a little adventurous and try something new. This is what I came up with and it was super easy and a HUGE hit!

First I got some neapolitan ice cream, let it melt and then I scooped just one or two scoops of it into cupcake liners and put them into the freezer and let them freeze into little ice cream disc's just the right size!Next I baked some rather small cupcakes. I just put the batter in the cupcake liners and didn't fill them as full as I normally would. Some of them were too big, but its okay, I was experimenting!

Then when they were all cool I took them out of the liners, put all new liners in the pan (this took a lot of liners!) and cut all the cupcakes in half. Then I put the bottom half of the cupcakes in the liner, then the little ice cream disc that I had frozen earlier, then the top of the cupcake on top of that. Then, to top it off I just used cool-whip for icing and stuck it back in the freezer to get it a hard again.

I think these may have been the absolute best cupcakes I have ever eaten!! They were absolutely scrumptious!! I just wish that more people were here to enjoy Jack's birthday with us. I think the whole family was out of town! Its okay though, it was a nice low-key day and he got lots of love!! Anyhow, you should try these out, it took a lot of time but they were actually really really easy and I felt my kids were actually eating less sugar. They didn't eat as much cake as usual and no additional ice cream than what was in the cupcake, and the cool whip is a lot better than the frosting would have been. They loved them too, I still have a few in the freezer and Lacy and Hugo beggggg for them every time they see them!

Lots of May Birthdays!!

First off in May was Chaz's birthday on the 3rd. I love Chaz... I wish she was either a few years older or me a few younger because we lived so close growing up and really didn't get to know each other until we were already sisters. I know we would have been best friends :) Chaz is funny and sweet and so thoughtful. You can always count on her to be the one to remember birthdays or to bring you flowers when you are sick or just call or text to tell you hi or how much she loves you! She is one of those "glue" personalities.. the type of people that keeps everyone else together. I love her so much, happy birthday pretty lady!

Then we had Mom's birthday ON Mother's day. She always gets so jipped when her birthday falls on Mothers day. She deserves 365 days each year to celebrate her aweseomeness! She is the rock of the family. She is strong and brave and I have NEVER met a more Christlike, selfless mother. She has given everything she has to her son's and I could not be more grateful. (If you know me well, I will openly say I have the best marriage of anyone I know... and I mean it!) Shawn is amazing and I know right where he learned it!! Its one of the first things I fell in love with about Shawn was how much he loved his mother. Kathy is also such a hilarious, fun partner in crime. I love having her as a shopping buddy or just to hang out with. I am so lucky to have a mother in law that I love as much as her, but even more so I consider her one of my dearest and closest friends. I love you so much mom.

Randal turned the big 3-0 this year on the 12th. He gave us all the best present and decided to come visit for the summer :) I love Randal. He is a genius!! He must remember everything he has ever read, heard, seen, etc. He is always up for good, intelligent conversation and I just love it. He is sweet to his boys and his wife and for that (among a million other things).. I love him!!
Happy Birthday Randal!

My sweet sweet baby Jack turned 1 on the 29th!! Jack is amazing!! I tell everyone (joking-ly... well sorta) that Jack is my gift from heaven for putting up with my first two. They were hard babies for me and so far... except the sleep thing, Jack is so sweet. He hardly ever cries, unless of course he is hungry then its just the end of the world! I am amazed at how much personality a one year old can have, but it is just exploding out of him. He loves music and loves to dance. He loves to be around people and to entertain. He loves to follow Hugo around and play with him, although to Hugo, its mostly torture. He loves to be thrown around by Lacy... He has the cutest laugh and has his Daddy's adorable dimples. He loves the bath, he loves to be outside, anytime the door is open he runs as fast as he can to the open door and if he misses the chance to get out, he isn't so thrilled. He already loves trucks, and he loves his mommy and daddy. We just adore Jack and every moment we get with him is such a treasure. Happy Birthday Jack Jack!!

Anna Banana turned 4 the day after Jack's birthday. She had given us all a huge scare a couple days before her birthday and so we are all thanking our Heavenly Father for Anna right now, along with all the miracles He is always giving us. Anna is such a spitfire. She is Lacy's little red-head twin cousin. We love Anna so much, we constantly just want to kidnap her and claim her as our own :) jk... but really she is such a sweet heart. She is thoughtful and imaginative and just so darling. We all love you so much Anna. You are the best!

I couldn't do May's birthday's and not include my BFF Elise's birthday on the 4th. We have been friends since middle school. Elise and I can not get together and not laugh like crazy. We have so much fun every time we are together. She has always been there for me and me her. She is the kind of friend you know you will talk to when you are 90 years old! I love her!! Thanks for being my BFF Elise, I LOVE YOU!!! Happy Birthday!

Dinner

What is it with kids and spaghetti?

(before)

(after)

they all just love it!

Piano

I have been procrastinating blogging lately. I'm in search of a camera that takes half decent pictures. I got this gorgeous piano from my aunt that I had to do some major renovating to, and my after pictures I took with my camera don't do the piano justice. I'll still post them but I wish I had something better.

This is the original picture my aunt sent me. It was being stored in a garage, it needed a LOT of work, but I could tell immediately I LOVED it and it was a prize! They had also had it recently tuned and it doesn't sound too bad!

This was my before picture I took, it was after I had been sanding it for a while. (You can also notice the walls, after finishing the piano I was inspired to paint my family room walls!)
a close up before

My lovely mother came to help me. We had to take some of the piano apart to clean and paint it. Bet you can't guess who is who?

We're twinsies!

Here are my after pictures. We got it all sanded, cleaned up and painted black.. I also painted my room blue. I still need to hang the picture- I'm excited to change the decorations with each season or holiday. Isn't it a treasure?!

Check it out

I posted about a very cool giveaway on my boutique blog.

And I put up info about 50, yes 50 bags we will be giving away the morning of the boutique. They are going to be awesome! You must come to the boutique May 1st. Check out the blog, here.